Bayshore Bikeway Barrio Logan Segment Community Meeting

The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) is planning improvements to the Bayshore Bikeway between 32nd Street and Park Boulevard in the City of San Diego, known as the Barrio Logan segment. Interested parties and community members are invited to attend the second community stakeholder’s meeting to hear about and provide comments on preliminary plans for how the bikeway could be implemented along Harbor Drive.

WHEN: Monday, February 2, 2015
6-8 p.m.
WHERE: Woodbury University School of Architecture -2212 Main St. San Diego, CA 92113

This is a public meeting. Any interested members of the public are welcome to attend.

About the Project

The Bayshore Bikeway is a major corridor in the regional bike network, and the Barrio Logan segment is one of the last major segments of the Bayshore Bikeway to be constructed. It will provide a comfortable and attractive place to ride a bike along Harbor Drive that is separated from vehicle traffic. The Barrio Logan segment will connect to the existing Bayshore Bikeway at the bayfront promenade in front of the San Diego Convention Center, and to an existing section of bike path now under construction south of 32nd Street.

San Diego Bike Tour

By Dave Rice, freelance journalist

The four-day-long National Bicycle Tourism Conference kicked off in San Diego on Wednesday, November 5, with conference organizers hoping to highlight the region as an increasingly bike-friendly locale for residents and visitors alike. This is the first in the conference's 25 years of operation that San Diego was selected to host.

 

Prior to the start of the conference, the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition staged a five-mile tour encompassing portions of downtown and Coronado, meant to highlight the nearly-complete Bayshore Bikeway, a 24-mile loop around the bay that's been under development since 1976, as well as various other improvements that resulted in Coronado being named in 2013 to a nationwide list of certified "bike friendly" city.

The tour kicked off in front of the county administration building, where Supervisor Greg Cox greeted a handful of cycling activists, local media, and national cycling press, offering encouragement for completion of the Bikeway and adoption of more cyclist-friendly policies countywide.
 

"What you're hearing throughout the entire region in San Diego is that we're really becoming more and more of a bicycling community," said Cox.

A short ride delivered participants at the San Diego-Coronado Ferry dock where, once on board, Bicycle Coalition executive director Andy Hanshaw and Stephan Vance, a transportation and land use planner with the San Diego Association of Governments, delivered an update on the state of cycling in San Diego.

"We're focused on getting people out and taking short trips, using their bike for commuting, making communities accessible for everyday riding," explained Hanshaw. "We think going by bike makes a lot of sense."

CicloSDias, an event in which a section of public street is closed to vehicle traffic and overtaken by cyclists and pedestrians, is growing in popularity. The third incarnation is set for Sunday, November 9, following the conclusion of the bike tourism conference. This time, the route passes through the Hillcrest and Bankers Hill neighborhoods, running along Sixth Avenue from Laurel north to UniversityAvenue, and then east along University to Park Boulevard.

Bike-sharing service Decobike, which was selected in 2013 provide 1800 bikes at 180 locations around San Diego, is set to launch sometime within the conference. The city's program roll-out will be the first of its kind in the region.

After nearly four decades, Vance said that funding has been identified for the final legs of the Bikeway, and that a full dedicated route should be available within the next five years.

"In recent years we've really picked up a lot of momentum," said Vance, crediting SANDAG's regional transit plan, which is contested by some advocates of car alternatives for not going far enough.

The overall SANDAG plan calls for 250 miles of additional bicycle facilities (including both dedicated bike paths and bike lanes along roadways) over the next 40 years. Overall, two percent of the half-cent sales tax approved by voters in 2004 is earmarked for pedestrian and cyclist improvements.

Coronado city councilman Mike Woiwode was also in attendance, and said that local residents were already largely adopting cycling as a means of transportation. Several hundred locals take advantage of free early morning trips on the ferry to get to and from work, and as many as 70 percent of the city's children ride to school on a daily basis.

"If you go by the middle school, you'll see three or four hundred bikes in the racks right now," said Woiwode. "We're still trying to catch up with the demand."

Docking in Coronado, city transportation planner Mariah VanZerr joined the ride, pointing out several features including a traffic-calming roundabout, bike parking corrals installed in the downtown shopping district, and similar improvements that contributed to the city's cycling-friendly designation.

Coronado is home to a nine-mile dedicated bike path along the Silver Strand connecting the city to Imperial Beach, which is currently the longest contiguous section of Bikeway. A sensor near the beginning of that path, VanZerr said, registers between 700 and 1300 daily bike trips on weekdays, with as many as 3000 bikes per day passing by along the edge of the city golf course on weekends.

Hanshaw was optimistic the ride and other events associated with the convention would continue to enhance San Diego's image in the cyclist community.


"We've got a great opportunity to show off, not just the weather but the improvements that are going on all across the region, including our gem in the Bayshore Bikeway."

6th Annual Bike the Bay Provides Extraordinary San Diego Sightseeing Opportunity

Community bicycle ride offers the only chance to pedal across Coronado Bay Bridge

Want the best view of San Diego County? Grab your bike and ride Bike the Bay-- the only opportunity to pedal across the renowned Coronado Bay Bridge as well as the newly expanded Bayshore Bikeway. Participants in this causal 25-mile ride will experience some of the county’s most breathtaking waterfront views during the 6^th annual Bike the Bay ride on Sunday, August 25, 2013.

Fresh off the heels of San Diego’s first-ever CicloSDias, Bike the Bay presents another opportunity for folks of all sorts to pedal around town. Bike the Bay welcomes bicyclists 12-years and older of all cycling abilities to pedal through the very best San Diego County has to offer. The event begins at 7 a.m. at Embarcadero Marina Park South on Harbor Drive in San Diego, with an expected sell-out attendance of over 3,500 cyclists.

The San Diego County Bicycle Coalition, a host and beneficiary of Bike the Bay, organizes the event to encourage biking as a fun and efficient alternative to automobiles.

“This is a unique chance for bicyclists of every level to see San Diego County as they never have before,” said Andy Hanshaw of the SDCBC. “There is no other opportunity to bike across the celebrated San Diego- Coronado Bay Bridge, and it is something you will surely regret if you don’t see it for yourself.”

The picturesque ride starts at the Embarcadero Marina Park South, and journeys over the 2.1-mile Coronado Bridge. One lane of the bridge closes to cars in order to accommodate the thousands of bicyclists expected to take part in the early morning event.

After crossing the bridge, the primarily flat course meanders along bike lanes through the quiet streets of picturesque Coronado and onto the Bayshore Bikeway; San Diego’s premiere bike attraction. This bicycling path surrounds the entire San Diego Bay, with vast additions since last year. Participants in Bike the Bay have a special opportunity to cruise on the completed parts of this premiere bike path. 

Riders continue through Imperial Beach, Chula Vista and National City on dedicated bike lanes and bike routes. The ride ends at Embarcadero Marina Park South for post-ride activities, entertainment, food and a New Belgium Brewing Beer Garden. Most riders can expect to complete the fairly flat course in 2-3 hours.

As well as refreshments along the route and bike repair stations, riders receive a commemorative t-shirt (exclusive Bike the Bay cycling jerseys are also available) and entry into the post-ride festival. Helmets are required and regular rules of the road will apply. Spectators are encouraged to support their riders at key mile markers sponsored by local companies and organizations.

Registration, course maps, and other information can be found at www.bikethebay.net or by calling 619-269-6873. Registration is required and should be done as early as possible as previous years have sold out. A portion of Bike the Bay proceeds go to benefit the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition. 

For information about this year’s corporate sponsors and sponsorships, please call 619-977-2989 or email info@bikethebay.net.

Gordy Shields, San Diego Cycling Legend, Passes

By Kathy Keehan, San Diego County Bicycle Coalition Board Member

Gordy Shields, San Diego cycling legend, passed away yesterday from complications from open heart surgery. 

Opening of the H Street to Palomar Street Segment
 of the Bayshore Bikeway (2012)

Cycling record holder (national time trial record holder for the 80, 85, 90 and 95 age groups) and passionate cycling advocate, Gordy was a personal hero to me. We attended many meetings together, most of which were about the Bayshore Bikeway, the regional treasure he championed from the 1970s onward. What struck me most about Gordy was his ability to be a strong advocate for cycling, while still being a warm compassionate person. He was kind to me when I was a new advocate still struggling to find my footing in a confusing bike world. He didn’t care how far I rode or how fast, so long as I spoke up for cyclists. He understood that advocacy took a long time, and  he always said that he hoped the Bayshore Bikeway would be finished before he passed. He never gave up, even during the dark days when it seemed the bikeway would never get started, let alone finished. The legacy of his perseverance lives on in the Bayshore Bikeway, along with other bicycling improvements all throughout the county. In his later years, Gordy was also an inspiring advocate for aging with grace and style, and was recently honored as one of San Diego County’s “San Diego Legends.” 

What made Gordy special to so many was his warmth and kindness. He had a delight in everything he did, and that transferred onto every person whose life he touched. Gordy, we will miss your strength, your spirit, and your joy. Godspeed. 

Groundbreaking for the H to Palomar section (2011)

Opening of the Gordy Shields Bridge on the Bayshore Bikeway (2004)